Errrrr Awkward
by HAFanForever
Summary: Arnold and Helga get together to do homework at his house. But the next morning, his family finds the proof that he and Helga weren't just doing homework. XD A follow-up to "I Need a Mop." Rated "T" for the same reasons as the predecessor.
1. After School

**Hey, I'm back and I'm doing another story based on one of limey404's artworks, this one:** limey404 . deviantart art / errrrr - awkward - 160778737. **I'm splitting this story into three chapters, and like the other two stories I did, I'm sharing my thoughts on events that I think happened before the panels of the artwork as well as what happens afterwards. I don't want to jump right into something without working it in gradually for it to work in the way I think it would. Besides, I'm sure you would like to know what could happen before and after since we have to use our imaginations for that. So I hope you enjoy my interpretation of this comic.**

**Also, I'm making this story as a follow-up to **_**I Need a Mop**_**, so I'm sure you can remember that I set it after TJM and **_**The Patakis**_**.**

**You all know the disclaimer by now.**

* * *

As they walked to Arnold's house after school, Arnold and Helga held each other along the way, Arnold with his left arm over Helga's shoulder and Helga's right arm around his waist. They said nothing for a while, but they didn't have to, feeling enough peace, bliss, and comfort in just being with each other.

Earlier in the day, the couple had snuck into the janitor's closet for some serious kissing, and Helga finally planted a hickey on Arnold's neck (even though they were briefly interrupted by Brainy and Helga hit him with a mop as an act of revenge). She had seen how many other girls in school had looked at Arnold, because of his good looks and good nature, so she decided to make it clear to those girls that Arnold belonged to her, and the hickey would be the sign that Arnold was already involved with someone. Arnold himself knew he only wanted Helga, so even before today, he constantly shrugged off a lot of other girls who tried to approach him or ask him out.

Arnold wasn't worried in the least about Helga biting him, even with the little bit of pain he knew it would cause. But he was so enraptured by her that it wasn't hard for him to ignore the pain, plus, she made it up to him by kissing that spot to make him feel better, since she loved him so dearly. And since he knew a lot of the kids in the school since they were young, they knew very well that Arnold belonged to Helga.

As they finally came up to the boarding house, Arnold decided to completely button up his shirt along with the collar, as he didn't want his parents or grandparents to see the hickey and get any ideas that they did anything beyond just that.

Not that he was too worried about it, especially since Miles and Stella accepted his relationship with Helga a long time ago and were more laid back about it than Helga's parents were. But his grandparents were still as eccentric as they always had been, and Phil would tease him endlessly if he saw the hickey, especially since he was once in Arnold's spot, given his old relationship with Gertie.

But he didn't feel like explaining at the moment, so he decided to keep his shirt buttoned until he and Helga could go upstairs, despite that having it buttoned up all the way made it feel a little tight around his neck.

As Arnold opened the door, he and Helga stood aside as the pets ran out. Still holding hands, the couple then walked into the kitchen to greet his family. Miles was sitting at the table and reading the paper with Phil while Stella and Gertie were looking around for ingredients for dinner.

"Hi, Arnold. Hi, Helga," Miles and Stella said together as the couple entered.

"Hello, short man, little lady."

"Howdy, Kimba and Eleanor."

"Hi, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa," Arnold responded.

"Hi, everybody," Helga said as she gave a little wave.

"Have a good day at school, guys?" Miles asked as he looked up from the paper.

Arnold and Helga exchanged a glance and both gave a tug at their collars. "Uh, yeah, it was…good. Nothing too special," Arnold said nervously, still not willing to admit the truth about their day.

"Yeah, nothing too special," Helga repeated Arnold's words as she grinned nervously.

Before anything else could be said that made them more nervous, Stella said, "Your grandma and I are going to fix dinner in about an hour, Arnold." Turning to Helga, she added, "Do you want to join us, Helga? You know you're always welcome to be with us."

"Yeah, you are like part of the family, Helga," Miles added as he looked in Helga's direction. "You're welcome here anytime you want to come over."

Helga beamed and smiled warmly. In the years since she and Arnold first got together, she had grown very close to Miles and Stella and thought of them as true parental figures to her. And despite how weird they could be, she felt very close to Phil and Gertie as well.

"Actually, Mom," Arnold began, "Helga and I talked about this earlier, and we have a lot of work to do together, so I was wondering if instead we could order a pizza for us two and eat that while we do our homework together in our room."

Stella just smiled at her son. "Of course it's okay, honey. I'm just glad you told me this now. But we'll save some of the dinner for you later, and Helga, of course, if she wants some." She winked at Helga.

Looking over at the couple, Phil noticed Arnold with his shirt completely buttoned up, including up at the neck, and frowned. Pointing at the shirt, he said, "Hey Arnold, why do you have your shirt buttoned up all the way?"

Arnold froze for a moment as he tried to explain, "Uh, well, I…just felt a little cold, that's all."

Phil looked at Miles and the father and son exchanged knowing smiles as they glanced at each other. Then Phil looked back at Arnold. "All right then, short man."

Helga decided to cut this short before anything else happened. "Okay, well, it's time for us to get to work, football head. So let's go upstairs, order the pizza, and hit the books!"

Arnold smiled at her as he crossed his arms. "Sure thing, Helga."

The couple took each other's hands again as they left the kitchen. As they did, the four adults looked at each other with the same knowing expressions on their face.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Miles?" Stella asked.

"I'm sure of it," Miles smiled as he answered. Looking away for a moment, then back at Stella, he added, "Think Helga will do it again to him?"

"Oh, yes. I bet they do have homework, but they want to use this chance to spend more time alone together. But as long as this place is packed with so many people, they won't be doing any major 'funny stuff' under this roof." Stella smiled as she shook her head.

"Those two…" Miles chuckled and turned towards his father. "They really are like you and Mom."

"Darn tootin' they are, son!" Phil replied. "Someday Arnold and his little lady will be walking down the aisle, I can guarantee it."

Miles agreed, "Helga's definitely a keeper, Dad. Arnold followed his instincts with Helga like you did with Mom, and I'm sure these two will be inseparable even more when that day finally comes."

As his parents and grandparents continued to chat, Arnold and Helga had been outside nearby and heard everything that was just said. Arnold blushed as he realized his family must have known that his shirt was buttoned up in order to hide the bite on his neck. But he also smiled when they mentioned that he would marry Helga someday. Since they had gotten back together, Arnold knew he wanted Helga and no one else by now. He knew that they still had a lot to do in life before settling into a big commitment like marriage, but he was positive by now that he did want to marry Helga someday.

Almost all of the same things could be said with Helga. Ever since she discovered that Arnold's grandparents had the same relationship she and Arnold had when they were kids, but ended up falling in love and still being happily married to this day, Helga took it as a sign of fate and firmly believed that it would happen with her and Arnold one day. When they broke up, Helga never stopped loving Arnold, and when they finally got back together, Helga also knew more than ever by now that she wanted no one else but him. She told herself that she would marry him now if she could, but that Arnold would say that they should wait and not rush into something as big as marriage and that he was right. That was why she knew she needed Arnold: he could help her be more reasonable and realistic in regards to a situation like that, and not do something so hasty. Still, the idea of them tying the knot someday excited her, just as much as it did when she first told herself in preschool that she wanted to marry him.

Looking at each other, Arnold and Helga put their arms around each other and headed up the stairs.

"Sounds like they didn't buy it, Helga," Arnold said sheepishly as they walked together and finally came to his door.

Helga waved her hand in an "I don't care" manner. "Oh, stop worrying, football head! We do have homework, but it's not like we have so much to more to do on our history project. We'll just finish the majority of it tonight, then we'll get down to business."

Arnold just laughed a little. "Whatever you say, Helga."

"Damn straight, hair boy! Whatever I say!" But she smiled when she said it.

Then Arnold opened the door and let Helga in first. Before he went in, Arnold exhaled and thought, _Whew! She is a keeper, all right_. Then he smiled and went in after her closing the door behind him.


	2. Up in Arnold's Room

**Hey, I'm back! And I'm glad you all like the story so far. I appreciated your reviews; it helps a lot to encourage me. Sorry it took so long to post the next chapter, but I've been busy lately and I don't have much internet access in my home right now. :( But I've been letting my creative juices for this story flow before I put them down on paper.**

**Now since Arnold and Helga are teens in this story, we know their hormones are driving them wild, and even now, they can't keep their hands (or should I say lips?) off each other. There is some sexiness in this chapter of the story, but no sex at all. :( Nope, sorry to disappoint you, but that will be for another story in the future. ;)**

**I have chosen the Civil War for their history project, so I will throw in a brief but fairly descriptive summary about it so you readers can get an education on it as well. I also threw in a very cool fact that I'm sure you identify and tell me what it is if you think carefully.**

**Enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

It was after 5:00 P.M. Arnold was sitting at his desk where his laptop was located, typing the last few sentences needed to complete the paper he and Helga were writing together for their history project. Their topic of choice was the Civil War, and as a little bonus, they decided to make a timeline with important details during the war, such as the election of Abraham Lincoln, famous battles that occurred, events that lead to the start and end of the war, and the important people on both troop sides. They also decided to mention the war in popular culture, such as the films _Gettysburg_, _Gods and Generals_, and _Glory_, and the novel _The Red Badge of Courage_.

Helga sat on the couch, looking at a timeline of facts about the Civil War they had found online and was circling events on it that she thought would be good to mention for the timeline she and Arnold were making.

In the past couple hours since they'd been in his room, Arnold and Helga had been working on the homework from all of their classes together, but decided to save their project for last. They thought it would be better if they got the little things out of the way before moving onto the project, as it was more important and they had a lot of things to sort out for it before it was due the following week.

The couple had ordered their pizza about twenty minutes ago and they were eagerly waiting for it to arrive. They had only just realized how hungry they were, considering they didn't really have lunch since they took advantage of that period today to make out in the janitor's closet.

Arnold checked and proofread the paper after he added the last sentence. "Hey, Helga? Why don't we practice our presentation some by giving a little summary on the importance of the war? The presentation has to be only a few minutes between both of us; it's the paper that needs to be lengthier."

Helga shrugged. "Sure, if you wanna do that, hair boy, we can practice a little."

"I'll start. I'll gesture to you to give you a turn."

"Fine by me."

Arnold sat back more in the chair as he began, "Okay, well, the war that we usually refer to as the Civil War was known as the American Civil War, sometimes as War Between the States, and lasted from 1861 to 1865. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate troops. Led by Jefferson Davis, they fought against the Union troops, which were supported by all the Free States (where slavery had been abolished) and by five slave states that became known as the Border States." He turned to Helga. "I'm sure you know by now that the Confederates wore gray uniforms while the Unions wore blue."

Helga just rolled her eyes and smirked at him. "Doi, of course I know all that, football head. I've known about that little fact for years."

Arnold just held up his hands in defense and said in a small sarcastic tone, "Hey, sorry." Then he gestured to her. "You wanna go next?"

"Sure." Then she picked up where Arnold left off: "During the presidential election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln led the Republican Party, which had campaigned against the expansion of slavery beyond the states in which it already existed. In response to the Republican victory in that election, seven states declared their secession from the Union before Lincoln took office on March 4, 1861. Both the outgoing administration of then-President James Buchanan and Lincoln's incoming administration rejected the legality of secession, considering it rebellion. Several other slave states rejected calls for secession at this point."

As Helga ended there, she looked over at Arnold, meaning she wanted him to continue. He added, "So the war officially began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked a U.S. military installation at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Lincoln responded by calling for a volunteer army from each state to recapture federal property. This led to declarations of secession by four slave states, which joined the seven states that had already formed the Confederacy. Both sides raised armies as the Union assumed control of the Border States early in the war and established a naval blockade. In September 1862, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation made ending slavery in the South a war goal and also dissuaded the British from intervening."

He returned the look to Helga, who finished the summary with a few more important sentences: "Confederate commander Robert E. Lee won battles in the east, but in 1863, his northward advance was turned back with heavy casualties after the Battle of Gettysburg. To the west, the Union gained control of the Mississippi River after their capture of Vicksburg, Mississippi, thereby splitting the Confederacy in half. The Union was able to capitalize on its long-term advantages in men and materiel by 1864 when Ulysses S. Grant fought battles of attrition against Lee, while Union general William Tecumseh Sherman captured Atlanta, Georgia, and marched to the sea. Confederate resistance collapsed after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865." She took a breath after the last sentence and crossed her arms. "Hmmm, it sounds like we know what we're saying, Arnoldo."

Arnold nodded. "I think that sounds good for now. We can practice again another time. It might be good to end the paper right on that note, but maybe when we give the presentation, we could talk a little how Lincoln was inaugurated as President and when he was assassinated. The only problem then is where to end, because things especially pick up a lot from there with his assassination, what with all those comparisons between him and Kennedy. And then there's the whole deal with the Ku Klux Klan and former slaves working as sharecroppers."

"That's true. Well, it might be a good idea to just casually mention those events and try to avoid going into details since they can get off the subject of our presentation. I was also thinking we could search for a list that gives those comparisons between Kennedy and Lincoln, and we'll pass that around the class so we don't have to talk about that so much, either."

"That sounds like a good plan. And when we wrap up our presentation, we'll mention how the war has affected popular culture, what with those movies and that novel."

"I like that idea. Hey, since you mentioned it, did you know that _Gods and Generals_ is actually a prequel to _Gettysburg_? Robert Duvall replaced Martin Sheen as Robert E. Lee, and Duvall is actually a descendant of Lee."

Arnold's eyes widened in surprise and amazement. "Wow, no, I had no idea on that! That must have been cool for him to do that, playing his ancestor. We definitely have to tell the class that, I'm sure it would fascinate them!"

"Oh yeah, I bet so!"

Just then, they heard a knock at Arnold's door. Arnold checked that his shirt was still buttoned up at the neck. "Come on in."

"Pizza delivery!" they heard Miles say in a sing-song voice as he walked into the room, carrying a pizza and two bottles of Yahoo soda.

"Oh, great, pizza! I'm starving!" Helga licked her lips.

"Thanks, Dad! And thanks for thinking of the soda, too!" Arnold took the pizza from him and set it down on the floor while Helga took the sodas.

Stella soon followed carrying two plates and some napkins for the couple. "Here you go, you two."

Helga took the items from Stella and sat down with Arnold. "Thanks, Miles, Stella."

"You're welcome. So what pizza did you guys get?" Miles asked.

"Pepperoni and mushroom," Arnold and Helga said simultaneously.

"Well, I hope you enjoy it," Stella said as she smiled at them. "How's your work coming?"

"Just fine," Arnold replied. "We still have a lot to do, so we'll be at it for a while."

Miles grinned. "Okay, well, enjoy your food, and you know where we'll be if you need anything."

"We gotcha, Mom and Dad."

"See you later, you two." Stella waved, then walked out the door, followed by Miles, who did the same thing.

As soon as they left, Arnold and Helga opened the box and dug into the pizza, barely taking a moment to breathe as they each took a large bite of their first slices, realizing even more now just how hungry they were.

* * *

An hour later, the whole pizza was gone and the soda bottles were completely empty. Arnold and Helga were lying on the floor and clutching their stomachs from the feeling of being full. Since they had finished dinner and their history paper (despite needing to work a little more on the presentation and get the last few needed materials), Helga wanted to finally get down to business.

Helga stood up from the floor, no longer feeling stuffed. "You ready, Arnold?"

Arnold, who was still sitting on the floor, looked up at her nervously. "I-I don't know, Helga."

Helga got back down beside him and made a pleading face. "Oh, come on, Arnold. We've barely had time to be alone together this whole week, and even when we tried to have some privacy today, we were interrupted courtesy of _Brainy._" She scowled as she said that name, then continued, "I just want us to be alone together and get a little…intimate. And we're finally in a place where we can be alone and no one can come in, except without knocking first." She took his hand in both of hers. "Just please do this with me."

Arnold turned towards her and smiled as he placed his other hand over hers. "Okay, Helga."

Helga smiled and walked over to the door and locked it. After she did, she turned around and removed her shoes and pulled off her socks, placing them to the side. Arnold walked over to where she was and did the same thing with his socks and shoes as he placed them with hers. Helga remained standing in front of the door while Arnold stood in front of her. As they looked at each other, Arnold slowly removed his red-and-yellow plaid shirt and the blue t-shirt he was wearing underneath, then tossed them on the floor next to him. Though he didn't take his jeans off, Helga could see that he was wearing blue boxers under them. At the same time, Helga removed all of her clothes: her gray, patched old hat, her magenta t-shirt, and her jeans, and tossed them into the pile consisting of Arnold's shirts. But she stopped once she only had on her white-and-pink bra and matching underwear.

Arnold gulped and exhaled nervously. "I'd like to leave my pants on, if you don't mind."

Helga smiled and gently touched the side of his face. "It's fine. Just relax now. It's okay, Arnold." Then she pulled the bands out of her hair that held them in the pigtails, and waved her head as let her hair fall. Arnold liked to see her with her hair down, so she thought it would help lighten his mood if she did that now.

Arnold smiled back at her. "You look beautiful. You should wear your hair down more often." He nervously took one of his hands and began to slowly but gently run his fingers through her hair, stroking her face as he touched her hair along the side of it.

"Well, maybe for you, I will," Helga said and continued to smile at him.

As Arnold brought his hand down, they continued to look at each other as Helga slowly brought both of her hands up to Arnold's bare chest and began to caress him in a loving manner. She continuously ran her hands up and down his chest, stroked his neck and face a few times, and even played with his hair. At first, Arnold kept exhaling nervously, but after a few more strokes, he began to get used to the way Helga was touching him. As he did, he would point his head up a little when she stroked his neck and face, and even closed his eyes to show he was enjoying the feeling.

Arnold and Helga had lost track of how long they'd been standing by the door when Helga finally brought her hands down. Arnold then brought his own hands up and gently stroked her cheeks and ran his fingers through her hair again, tucking some back as it fell past her face. He brought one of his hands up and touched her pink bow, tracing the outlines of it. He couldn't help but smile as he did so, for he knew of the sentimental value behind it. As he brought his hands down from her head, Arnold began to caress Helga's bare arms and shoulders gently.

Helga took Arnold's right hand in her left one and placed it over her clothed left breast. Arnold gave her a little surprised look, but she only looked back at him with content. As she continued to hold his hand there, she brought up her other hand and touched his left cheek. Arnold put his other hand around her waist and gently stroked her lower back. The whole time they stood in this position, Arnold and Helga just looked deep into each other's eyes and breathed softly.

After another period in which they lost track of time, the couple finally removed their arms from the other's bodies. Helga took a step forward and raised her arms, gently placing them around Arnold's neck and brought herself into him for a hug as she leaned her face into his neck. Arnold returned the action by placing his own arms around Helga's waist and hugged her back, also leaning his face into her neck.

Helga brought her head forward again to face Arnold. As they looked at each other, Helga placed her hands on his cheeks and leaned in, kissing him on the lips. It wasn't very passionate or forceful like her usual kisses, but more soft and gentle. Arnold just returned her kiss and they both closed their eyes as they continued kissing.

Sometime later, they finally broke apart and Helga leaned her right cheek into Arnold's right cheek. She whispered to him as she closed her eyes, "I love you, Arnold."

Arnold, who had opened his eyes after they kissed, closed them again and lightly kissed Helga's cheek (the one snuggling into his own) and whispered back to her, "I love you, too, Helga."

After hearing those words, Helga snuggled her face back into his neck and continued to hug him, with her right arm going around his neck, occasionally playing with his hair, while the other went around his waist.

Arnold kept his arms around Helga the whole time, then lightly kissed her neck. After a moment, Arnold pulled back to look at her in the face. "Come lie down with me on my bed."

"Okay." Helga smiled sweetly at him.

They walked over to his bed, and Arnold gestured for Helga to lie down on it first. Helga sat down and spread out her legs on the bed. Then Arnold sat down next to her, near the edge of the bed. He leaned forward just as Helga leaned in to make sure their lips met. Arnold leaned more towards Helga as she leaned back and brought her head down so it would touch his pillow. Arnold climbed more onto the bed, then positioned himself over Helga, finally coming down to lie on top of her. Feeling his body on hers, Helga brought her arms around his neck and held him close to her as they continued kissing, and he held her by her arms.

Helga abruptly broke away from Arnold, which surprised him as she never liked to stop kissing him unless they needed to breathe. She looked him right in the eye. "Tell me you love me, Arnold."

Arnold only smiled and looked back into her eyes. "I love you. I love you so much, Helga. I love you now more than I ever have in my life."

Helga let out a big, wide grin, then she brought her hand to Arnold's cheek and gently pulled his head down, their lips meeting again, and they resumed kissing.

* * *

Three hours later, Arnold and Helga were still on his bed, sleeping against each other, both wearing small smiles on their faces. Arnold was laying on his right side and had his right arm wrapped around Helga's shoulder with the other arm around her waist. At the same time, Helga was leaning into him with her head snuggled into his chest and her arms wrapped around his torso.

They had fallen asleep an hour and a half ago, and before then, they had been kissing like they never wanted to stop, with Arnold still on lying top of Helga. They alternated their kisses between soft and gentle and passionate and forceful. Though Helga was the one who didn't give short kisses, Arnold himself didn't want to stop in this moment, even when the lack of oxygen got to both of them. Helga had also taken advantage of the moment and gave Arnold another hickey on his neck, with this one being on the right side. Like the first one, it did hurt some, but Arnold didn't care so much. She had also kissed the spot where she bit him to make up for it, and Arnold thought to himself, _Who says that kisses don't help heal little injuries? Helga definitely has the magic touch._

When they had finally pulled away from each other, Helga remained lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling, while Arnold lay next to her on her left side, leaning on his right shoulder. He reached his left arm across Helga's body and placed his hand on her left shoulder, softly caressing her bare skin. Helga held his arm in her hands, with her right arm stretching out as far as his went. Helga wanted to be closer to him, so she turned to him and cuddled up with him, and wrapped her arms around him where they were now. He returned her actions by placing his arms around her like they were now as well. They had gotten so comfortable in this embrace that it didn't take long for them to fall asleep together, still holding each other in a loving way.

Finally, Arnold opened his eyes. Looking at Helga still sleeping, he smiled and gently kissed her forehead. She stirred lightly, then opened her eyes. She looked up at Arnold and smiled at him.

"Time to wake up, beautiful."

Helga moaned and whined mockingly, hugging him even tighter. "No, I don't wanna wake up. I wanna stay here with you."

Arnold moaned himself and hugged her in return. "Mmmm, I wish you could stay, too." He kissed her forehead again and smiled at her. Then he looked at his alarm clock and widened his eyes. "Oh, my God! It's 10:30!"

Helga immediately sat up, removing herself from his embrace. "What?" She looked at the clock, her eyes also widening. "Oh, my God! I gotta get moving. I have to be home by 11:00!"

She jumped off the bed and ran over to the pile of their clothes and quickly got dressed. While she did it in a hurry, she made sure her shirt wasn't inside out in order to avoid looking suspicious. She also grabbed her backpack and made sure she had packed all of her books, papers, and other materials in there.

Arnold sat up and stretched out his body, talking to her as he did so. "Well, that was fast. So much for you not wanting to stay."

Helga smiled at him. "Oh, you know I'd love to stay, but if I'm not home by curfew, Bob will blow a gasket and accuse me of doing…funny business with you. Then I might be forbidden from seeing you." She shuddered at the thought of that.

Arnold walked to where she was standing now and started to stroke her cheek. "I won't let that happen to us. I promise."

Helga pointed to his chest and smirked. "And you can rest assured, football head, we will be doing this again."

They gazed happily at each other and Arnold lightly tapped Helga's nose, making her giggle. Arnold broke the silence and asked, "Do you want to use the fire escape? It might be better, so we can avoid walking down the hall and being questioned by anyone who may still be awake."

Helga nodded. "Sure."

Arnold gestured to the place that led to the exterior of his roof. "Come on. You get your things, and I'll walk you outside."

Helga grabbed her belongings and headed out of the room through Arnold's roof. Arnold followed, and soon they both came to the fire escape steps. Arnold looked at Helga. "Are you gonna be all right?"

"Don't worry, football head. I'll be fine getting home."

Still facing him, Helga threw her arms around Arnold's neck and he put his arms around her waist as they hugged and kissed for the umpteenth time that night.

When they finally finished, they smiled at each other. "I love you so much, Helga."

"I love you, too, Arnold."

Once she said that, Arnold pulled her in for another kiss, which surprised her for a moment since he hardly ever did something like that.

They pulled apart again, then Helga said, "Okay, _now_ I have to go."

"All right. I'll see you later."

"See you later."

They waved goodbye, then Arnold watched as Helga climbed down the fire escape and headed down the street until he couldn't see her anymore. He wore a half-lidded gaze and let out a lovesick sigh before he went back to his roof and climbed down inside.

When he was finally back in his room, Arnold slipped on his pajamas, then quietly snuck down to the bathroom to brush his teeth. When he finished, he snuck back upstairs and silently shut his door. Then he turned off his lights and climbed into bed.

Before he lay down, he looked next to his bed, where he kept a picture of Helga. As he looked at it, he wished Helga was still there with him so he could give her another good night kiss. Then he smiled and kissed the picture before setting it down. As he finally lay his head down on the pillow, Arnold let out a content sigh and closed his eyes.


	3. Epilogue: Discovering the Evidence

_Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold!_

Arnold slowly opened his eyes as he heard his old childhood alarm clock go off. He sat up and smiled as he remembered the events with Helga the night before. It was almost 11:00 by the time she finally left to go home. Needless to say, he didn't want her to go. But she assured him that they would do it all again soon.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he stretched and yawned. Then he walked to his door and headed down for the bathroom to take his shower.

A few minutes later, he came back upstairs to get dressed. When he came downstairs to the kitchen, he noticed his parents and grandparents were already there. Phil was sitting at the table reading the paper while Gertie was wearing her safari hat and carrying the fly swatter, no doubt because there was a fly or some kind of bug around that she was trying to hunt down. Miles and Stella were at the counters talking when they noticed their son come in.

"Good morning, everybody!" Arnold said cheerfully.

"Good morning, Arnold!" they all responded to him.

A half-lidded gaze and small smile formed on Arnold's face as he went to the cupboard to get a bowl and poured some cereal into it. Then he went to the refrigerator and poured some milk into the bowl. Picking up a spoon from the silverware drawer, he went to the table and sat down. As he ate a few bites of his cereal, he didn't notice that his parents were smiling and laughing softly behind their hands.

As Gertie stood behind Phil and looked at Arnold, Phil looked up from the paper and at Arnold. "So what time did your friend with the old hat and the one eyebrow leave yesterday?"

Still wearing his gaze and smile, as if he were lost in a dream, Arnold looked down and stirred the cereal in his bowl. "Oh…pretty late. Helga and I had a lot of work to do on our history project."

As Arnold held up the spoon to his mouth to take another bite of his cereal, Gertie held up the fly swatter in her left hand and walked closer to him with an eager look on her face. "Kimba dear, do you need me to go hunt down the mosquitoes in your room? They really did a number on your neck last night!"

As soon as she finished that sentence, Arnold immediately froze, blushing heavily in his cheeks and nearly dropping the spoon in his hand. Unable to immediately say anything, he thought, _Oh my God! I forgot to button up my shirt! Great, now what are Mom and Dad gonna say about this? I hope they don't think we did anything more than kissing. And it's just a love bite! Helga just wants to make it known that I belong to her._

Phil looked back at the paper and laughed to himself as he noticed Arnold's reaction and Miles and Stella glanced and smiled at each other.

"Ah, kids…" Miles whispered as Stella placed her hand over mouth, giggling softly.

At a loss for words, Arnold could only stutter, "I…well, I, uh…you see…"

Miles couldn't take it anymore and laughed as he came up beside Arnold. "Well, I see you're going in for the gold, huh, son?"

"Miles!" Stella pretended to exclaim in a shocked manner as she playfully slapped his arm.

Arnold only continued to stutter, "I-I-I…well, uh, uh…I, um…uh…" Finally, he regained his composure and spoke up, placing the spoon back in the bowl. "All right, yes, those are hickeys on my neck! Helga gave me these lovebites, but it's because she hates how other girls at school look at me because I'm a nice guy and so good-looking. She wanted to do it to make it clear to them that I _am_ involved with someone and that I belong only to her. And yes, they did hurt a little, but she made it up to me by just kissing those spots afterwards. Who ever said that kisses couldn't make an injury better? She has the magic touch." He began to smile a little, then sood up from his seat. He turned to his parents and wore a serious expression as he looked at them. "Look, Mom, Dad, we _did_ finish our assignment, but after that, we decided to spend some time alone, just kissing and being in each other's company. Then we fell asleep on my bed. But nothing else happened. We didn't do any…funny business at all."

Stella and Miles just smiled, and Stella placed her arm on Arnold's shoulder. "We believe you, Arnold, and we trust you." Trying not to laugh, she added, "You may just want to…think about wearing a turtleneck or at least buttoning up your shirt again when you're out in public until those bites heal."

Miles joined in, "And aren't you worried about what people at school will say, son?"

Arnold raised his arms up and shrugged lightly. "Not really. I mean, so what if teachers notice them? It's not like we did it out in public where people could be watching us, so they can't do anything to us unless they caught us making out in the hall or something, right?"

Miles looked at Stella, who looked back at him, then they both turned back to Arnold. "Well, I guess that makes sense. Did Helga even think about all that as well?"

Arnold lightly scoffed. "No. Helga still has her habit of doing things or making up her mind without thinking things clear through." Then his face brightened. "But that's why she has me, so she won't do something drastic without regretting it later."

"That's exactly why your grandma needed me when we were your age, short man," Phil added. Then he turned at looked at Gertie, who was still standing next to him. "And even today, Pookie and I still need each other just like you and your little lady need each other."

By now, Gertie had put down her fly swatter and placed her hand on Phil's shoulder as they looked at each other and smiled.

Arnold smiled and rolled his eyes. "I know, I know, Grandpa. Helga and I are just like you and Grandma. And I know by now that I do want to marry her someday."

"See, short man? I told you so." Phil winked at Arnold.

Arnold laughed a little. "Well, I'd better get going. I'm going over to Helga's and we plan to walk to school together." He quickly ate up the last contents of his cereal, then walked over to the sink and placed the bowl and spoon in there.

"Have a good day, Arnold," Miles said as he patted Arnold on the back while Stella kissed his cheek.

"Thanks, Mom and Dad. See you later," Arnold replied as he hugged his dad and kissed his mom back. "See you, Grandma and Grandpa." Arnold went over to them and hugged them as well.

"Have a good day, Arnold," Phil replied.

"Later, Kimba. And don't worry, I'll try and catch those mosquitoes anyway," Gertie called after Arnold as he grabbed his backpack and headed to the door.

Arnold stopped suddenly after hearing what Gertie said, then shook his head and laughed to himself. Despite knowing that his grandparents once had the same relationship he and Helga had as kids, he occasionally wondered if they were going to end up exactly like them, especially since Gertie saw a lot of her childhood self in Helga, and she and Phil both knew a long time ago that Helga liked Arnold.

Arnold walked out the door, down the steps, and headed towards Helga's house as he walked down the street.

* * *

Helga was patiently waiting for Arnold as she finished the last bits of her cereal. She smiled to herself, thinking about everything they did yesterday, both in school and at Arnold's house.

_Now the other girls won't get any ideas about trying to hook up with Arnold. Him having hickeys show that he belongs to someone: me!_ Helga thought, a devious smile clearly on her face.

Miriam, who was in the kitchen with her, took notice Helga's face and became puzzled. "What are you smiling about, Helga?"

"Oh…nothing, Mom," Helga answered innocently.

Miriam didn't really believe it, but she just casually answered, "Okay, then, honey."

Just then, the doorbell rang. Helga smiled, almost immediately jumping out of her seat. "That's gotta be Arnold. We're walking to school together, and he said he would come over here to get me first."

Miriam smiled when she saw how Helga's face brightened. "You're glad he's back, aren't you?"

"Gladder than I've ever been in my life." Helga grinned, then ran to the door. As she opened it, she saw she was right: it was none other than her football-headed boyfriend.

"Hey, football head."

"Hey, Helga." Arnold smiled brightly at her, then stepped in the doorway as he and Helga gave each other a good morning kiss. "You ready to go?"

"In a minute. I just have to finish my breakfast. Want to come in?"

"Sure."

"Great." Then she pointed at Arnold's neck. "And, uh, you may want to button up your shirt in the presence of my mom."

"Oh, great." Arnold rolled his eyes, then buttoned up his shirt, including the neck part. As he and Helga stepped inside more, he added, "I forgot to do it this morning and everyone noticed."

"They did?" Helga's eyes widened, then she started giggling.

"Yep. Grandma thought they were mosquito bites, and asked if she wanted me to hunt them down in my room."

"Oh, my God!" Helga exclaimed, then started laughing a little more loudly, though not too loudly so that her mother would ask why she was laughing so much.

"Ha, ha, ha," Arnold mock laughed. "Real funny, Helga."

"Aw, come on, hair boy. Where's your sense of humor?" Helga asked sarcastically as she poked his chest.

"Oh, Helga." Arnold rolled his eyes again and shook his head as he followed her into the kitchen.

Helga walked over to where her bowl of cereal was still sitting, then quickly took several more spoonfuls of it before she went over to the sink where she placed the bowl down.

"Hello, Arnold," Miriam said as she saw him come into the kitchen. "How have you been?"

"Hello, Mrs. Pataki. I've been just fine, thanks. Just came to walk Helga to school." Arnold walked up to Helga's side and smiled as he placed his right arm around her. Helga smiled, too, as she placed her hand over his and patted it.

"That's nice," Miriam said as she smiled at the couple. "Did you two get a lot done for your history project yesterday?"

"Sure we did, Mom. We just have a few more things to do, but the majority of it is done." Helga squeezed Arnold's hand as she felt him squeeze her shoulder. "Well, we'd better get going. See you later." She and Arnold broke apart, then they went to the door to grab their backpacks.

"Have a good day, you two," Miriam called after them.

"Bye, Mom," Helga called as she headed out the door.

"Bye, Mrs. Pataki," Arnold called, then shut the door behind him.

Once they were out on the steps, Arnold and Helga wrapped their arms around each other as they began walking down the steps and onto the street. They leaned their heads against each other, just enjoying the feeling of being in each other's company.

After a few minutes of walking, Arnold finally broke the silence. "Hey, Helga, aren't you worried that people might tease us about the fact that you gave me hickeys? I mean, our friends might tease us a little, but what about others who would find out that we're going together?"

Helga just waved her hand. "Eh, stop worrying, Arnoldo. Girls will no longer get any ideas that they can pursue you. Those hickeys are clear indication that you belong to someone, and if they still don't get it, then I'll just make myself known to them. They can't have you, football head. Only I can have you." She pointed to herself with her thumb. "You're mine and mine only, you got that?"

Arnold just laughed. "Whatever you say, Helga."

"Of course, hair boy! Whatever I say." She looked at him with a smirk, then she smiled sweetly at him.

Arnold decided to take advantage of her smile and stopped walking. Before Helga could ask why he stopped, he quickly pulled her to him and kissed her on the lips, wrapping his arms around her waist. Helga was a little surprised, but it quickly wore off as she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck as she did so.

After a few moments of getting lost in each other, Arnold and Helga finally pulled apart, staring and smiling at each other as they remained in each other's embrace.

"I love you, Helga."

"I love you, too, Arnold."

Arnold leaned forward and he and Helga kissed again, giving it more passion and force than the last kiss. They gave it almost all they had, which almost instantly lead to absence of air, forcing them to break apart again, much to their reluctance.

"Come on. Let's get moving so we're not late. And if you want some advice, keep your shirt buttoned up only during classes so the teachers don't ask."

"That's a good idea."

Arnold and Helga pulled out of their embrace as they started walking again, but kept their arms around each other, both wearing big smiles on their faces as they looked forward to what they had to share together in their future.

For now, at least.

* * *

**Thank you all again for your awesome comments on this story. This here is the final chapter, and it includes the actual dialogue from the comic. I know it's sad to finish, :( but it had to come to an end at some point. But don't worry; I have more stories planned for the future. ;)**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well as the others, meaning the whole story. Thanks again for reading and commenting, and have a good day. :)**


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